Lasers Shed Light on Engine Noise

German aerospace research center DLR is using lasers to map engine noise sources on an Airbus A320 in a soundproof hangar in Hamburg normally used by Lufthansa Technik for engine testing.

Photo: DLR

The combination on contactless laser-optic metrology and microphones will help DLR understand where noise is generated within an engine, and to develop computer simulations of noise-producing flow structures that could lead to quieter engines.

The SAMARAI project involves DLR's V2500-powered A320-ATRA testbed. The lasers will visualize areas of turbulent flow around the engine inlet and exhaust and the microphones will measure the noise levels associated with the flow phenomena.

"We want to locate the zones within the engine where large, turbulent fluctuations in velocity and density produce noise," says Andreas Schröder from DLR's Institute of Aerodynamics and Flow Technology. The project ends next summer.